05.05.09

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

(IsraelNN.com) The Foreign Ministry expressed outrage Tuesday in response to a United Nations report that accused the IDF of deliberately targeting United Nations buildings during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza.

The report was “unbalanced, biased and ignores the facts,” Israel said in its rejection. It called on the U.N. to take a second look at the “complex reality in which a terror organization operates in proximity” to its facilities.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to submit his response to the report to the Security Council on Tuesday, when he will release the full report.

IDF Investigation Completed 2 Weeks Ago
Two weeks ago, Israel completed its own independent investigation into allegations that the IDF fired at a UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) compound during the war.

“The findings of these inquiries… proved beyond doubt that the IDF did not intentionally fire at the U.N. installations,” said the Foreign Ministry in a statement.

“One must wonder why the report assigns no blame to the Hamas organization, which placed its installations and dispatched its men to confront the IDF in proximity to the U.N. installations. It is very regrettable that this pattern, as well as the responsibility of Hamas for harming Israeli and Palestinian civilians, was disregarded by the [U.N.] investigators.”

The Foreign Ministry noted that the IDF “took a series of measures meant to ensure international and U.N. facilities and vehicles were not harmed, including clearly marking them on operational maps and briefing officers and soldiers on the ground.”

Report ‘Ignores the Facts’
The report did not mention even once the circumstances that led to the counterterrorist operation – eight years of increasing rocket and missile attacks on civilians in southern Israel. Nor did it include any evidence provided by Israel that would have supported the IDF’s claim that it had not deliberately targeted U.N. facilities.

It did, however, rely on evidence provided by Hamas, which used “violence and intimidation against citizens of Gaza as tools to prevent them from presenting the actual truth,” the ministry reminded.

Israel “rejects the criticism in the committee’s summary report, and determines that in both spirit and language, the report is tendentious, patently biased, and ignores the facts presented to the committee,” said the ministry in a formal statement.

Ban is expected to note “the close cooperation accorded the inspection team by the Israeli authorities” and the “coordination between the IDF and the U.N. during Operation Cast Lead” in his response to the report Tuesday.

Israeli investigators provided “full cooperation” to U.N. investigators – unlike the Hamas terrorists – in the form of “intelligence materials, including videos, aerial photographs, eyewitness reports and other materials,” said the ministry.

Nevertheless, “The committee has preferred the claims of Hamas, a murderous terror organization, and by doing so has misled the world.”

Is there any morality left in this country at all? Do the Democrats care for our children at all? The Democrats love to tout out the “it’s for the children” mantra as often as they can, yet when it comes to “putting their money (well, actually it’s our money, but i digress) where their mouths are”, they go and introduce legislation that will protect child molesters.
Unbelievable!!

Pedophilia:“The term pedophilia or paedophilia has a range of definitions as found in psychology, law enforcement, and the vernacular. As a medical diagnosis, it is defined as a psychological disorder in which an adult experiences a sexual preference for prepubescent children. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), pedophilia is specified as a form of paraphilia in which a person either has acted on intense sexual urges towards children, or experiences recurrent sexual urges towards and fantasies about children that cause distress or interpersonal difficulty. The disorder is common among people who commit child sexual abuse; however, some offenders do not meet the clinical diagnosis standards for pedophilia. In strictly behavioral contexts, the word “pedophilia” has been used to refer to child sexual abuse itself, also called “pedophilic behavior”.

In law enforcement, the term “pedophile” is generally used to describe those accused or convicted of the sexual abuse of a minor (including both prepubescent children and adolescent minors younger than the local age of consent). An example of this use can be seen in various forensic training manuals. Some researchers have described this usage as improper and suggested it can confound two separate types of offenders. In common usage, the term refers to any adult who is sexually attracted to children or who sexually abuses a child.”

The leader of a pro-family organization says families across the nation need to contact their U.S. senators now to try to derail a legislative plan that already has passed the U.S. House and is being awaited by President Obama – after a Democrat confirmed that it would protect “all 547 forms of sexual deviancy or ‘paraphilias’ listed by the American Psychiatric Association.”

As H.R. 1913, the House version of the so-called “hate crimes” bill was adopted on a 249-175 vote, but not before several amendments were proposed by Republicans trying to mitigate the impact of the draconian law.

Democratic Sens. Edward Kennedy and Patrick Leahy immediately introduced a matching plan in the U.S. Senate, and activists say a vote in committee could come as early as tomorrow.

The proposal, formally called the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act after a Wyoming homosexual who was killed in a horrific robbery and beating in 1998, creates a special class for homosexuals and others with alternative sexual lifestyles and provides them protections against so-called “hate.”

It specifically denies such protections to other targeted classes of citizens such as pastors, Christians, missionaries, veterans and the elderly.

Wrote Porter, “I’ve written extensively about how this bill would criminalize Christianity and turn those who disagree with the homosexual agenda into felons, but criminalizing Christianity is just the beginning of what this bill would do. It would also elevate pedophiles as a special protected class – since the term ‘sexual orientation’ which has been added to the ‘hate crimes’ legislation includes them in the American Psychiatric Association’s definition of various ‘sexual orientations.”

There are only 242 crimes where there is actually some – truly – an assault, and we just rejected an amendment to including pedophilia from being a part of this protected class. Do you realize what that means?

If a mother hears that their child has been raped and she slaps the assailant with her purse, she is now gone after as a hate criminal because this is a protected class. There are other protected classes in here. I mean simple exhibitionism. I have female friends who have told me over the years that some guy flashed them, and their immediate reaction was to hit them with their purse. Well now, he’s committed a misdemeanor, she has committed a federal hate crime because the exhibitionism is protected under sexual orientation.

I know my friend said that we have a definition in the law, but there is nothing in this bill that references the definitions in the Hate Crimes Statistical Act…it’s not there. We asked that it be added so we could get a specific definition. It is not there.

And having reviewed cases as an appellate judge, I know that when the legislature has the chance to include a definition and refuses, then what we look at is the plain meaning of those words. The plain meaning of sexual orientation is anything to which someone is orientated. That could include exhibitionism, it could include necrophilia (sexual arousal/activity with a corpse) … it could include Urophilia (sexual arousal associated with urine), voyeurism. You see someone spying on you changing clothes and you hit them, they’ve committed a misdemeanor, you’ve committed a federal felony under this bill. It is so wrong.

King, Porter wrote, also told the full U.S. House that the APA has a list of 547 different “paraphilias” that would be protected by members of Congress under the “hate crimes” plan.

This bill addresses our resolve to end violence based on prejudice and to guarantee that all Americans regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability or all of these ‘Philias’ and fetishes and ‘ism’s’ that were put forward need not live in fear because of who they are. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this rule…”

Porter said families, parents, Americans, anyone interested in the future of the nation, needs to contact their members in the Senate and demand hearings, then demand a filibuster.

“Pushing away an unwelcome advance of a homosexual, transgendered, cross-dresser or exhibitionist could make you a felon under this law. Speaking out against the homosexual agenda could also make you a felon if you are said to influence someone who pushes away that unwelcome advance. And pedophiles and other sexual deviants would enjoy an elevated level of protection while children, seniors, veterans, and churches would not,” Porter said.

The “hate crimes” proposal not only sets up criminal charges against those whose actions or words offend homosexuals but also provides money “to improve the education and training of local officials to identify, investigate, prosecute and prevent hate crimes.”

President Obama, supported strongly during his campaign by homosexual advocates, appears ready to respond to their desires.

“I urge members on both sides of the aisle to act on this important civil rights issue by passing this legislation to protect all of our citizens from violent acts of intolerance,” he said.

“You must call the Senate today and demand that they hold hearings on this bill,” he wrote. “It is one of the most radical pieces of legislation to ever make its way to the Senate. If passed, it will lay the groundwork for restricting religious liberty and freedom of speech as it has in Canada and Europe.”

Similar state laws have resulted in persecution for Christians. In Philadelphia several years ago, a 73-year-old grandmother was jailed for trying to share Christian tracts with people at a homosexual festival.

Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said H.R. 1913 will create “thought crimes,” and U.S. Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., said it will end equality in the U.S.

Gohmert warned the law will be used against pastors – or anyone else – who speaks against homosexuality or other alternative sexual lifestyle choices. He said it provides that anyone who through speech “induces” commission of a violent hate crime “will be tried as a principal” alongside the active offender.

Critics say that would allow for prosecutions against pastors who preach a biblical ban on homosexuality if someone who hears such a message later is accused of any crime.

Andrea Lafferty, executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition, said, “A pastor’s sermon could be considered ‘hate speech’ under this legislation if heard by an individual who then acts aggressively against persons based on ‘sexual orientation.’ The pastor could be prosecuted for ‘conspiracy to commit a hate crime'” she said.

The bill previously failed when President Bush determined it was unnecessary – the crimes banned in the legislation already are addressed by other laws – and it probably is unconstitutional.

“The federal hate crimes bill is bad news for everyone,” said Brad Dacus of Pacific Justice Institute, who testified in Congress against the bill two years ago.

Matt Barber of Liberty Counsel has spoken out against H.R. 1913 a number of times.

“As has proved to be true in both Europe and Canada, this Orwellian piece of legislation is the direct precursor to freedom killing and speech chilling ‘hate speech’ laws. It represents a thinly veiled effort to ultimately silence – under penalty of law – morally, medically and biblically based opposition to the homosexual lifestyle,” he said.

It has been proven that Matthew Shepard was not killed because he was homosexual. Yet the homosexual activist continue to tout him out as their poster child. This was a hideous crime, worthy of punishment to the fullest extent of the law.
Hate crime laws establish a two tiered legal system, offering “more” justice to some over others. This is wrong in any circumstances.
Like Roe vs. Wade, the Shepard Bill is emotional response based on half-truths.

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina) drew the ire of homosexual activists and other supporters of hate crimes legislation last week when she suggested that the tragic 1998 murder of college student Matthew Shepard was not a hate crime.

“We know that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn’t because he was gay,” Foxx said on the House floor. “The bill was named for him — the hate crimes bill was named for him, but it’s really a hoax that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills.”

“I think it’s sad that Matthew Shepard’s case continues to be exploited by homosexual activists. Even in schools there’s the ‘Laramie Project,’ which is a pro-homosexual play which sort of builds on the Matthew Shepard myth. That’s still used today to advance the hate crimes concept,” [Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality] contends. “I think his case, again, proves that homosexual activists in this politically correct environment get greater attention than any other victim.”

Despite the pouring rain, over 300 concerned citizens representing a diverse group of political, religious, ethnic and racial groups convened in New York City’s Times Square on Sunday, May 3rd, to attend a rally sponsored by the Human Rights Coalition Against Radical Islam. The HRCARI is a grassroots global action movement that is dedicated to educating and mobilizing people of all backgrounds and persuasions to the inherent dangers of the burgeoning radical Islamic movement and to supporting freedom, democracy and tolerance.

Among the multitude of organizations represented at today’s rally included the Jewish Action Alliance, the Hindu Human Rights Watch, ACT for America, Muslims Against Sharia, the Alliance of Iranian Women, the Indian American Intellectuals Forum, the 9/11 Families for a Secure America, the Chinese Community Relations Council, the Namdhari Sikh Foundation, the American Coptic Union, AMCHA – Coalition for Jewish Concerns and Americans for Peace and Tolerance.

“We must stand up to the evil that radical Islam represents” declared Pastor Gerald Bell, a Southern Baptist African American minister who personally traveled to the Sudan to rescue African slaves from their Muslim captors. “The barbarism that I personally witnessed was simply indescribable and I tell you that amongst radical Islamists nobody is safe. Their agenda is to enslave, rape, kidnap and murder Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs and anyone who does not subscribe to their baneful credo.”

Arish Sahani, of the Indian American Intellectuals Forum enlightened the attendees to the heinous and systematic slaughter of Hindus throughout Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Quoting from a report issued by the Hindu American Foundation that was endorsed by members of the US congress and senate, he said, “For the last 18 years over 300,000 Hindus have been living in squalid camps because in one area of India where Hindus are a minority, namely the Kashmir valley, they were driven out by radical Islamists who used rape, murder and intimidation against them. In the year 1947, in what is now Bangladesh, Hindus comprised 30% of the population. Today they are less than 10% of the population because of the heinous acts of mass murder perpetrated against them by radical Islamists.”

“We all know that Israel has been on the front lines of encroaching Jihadism for decades” said Beth Gilinsky of the Jewish Action Alliance. “Radical Islam, Islamic supremacy, Sharia law, jihadism — call it what you will — but we all know what it is about — the killing of infidels and apostates, the slaughter of innocents because of their faith, their political beliefs, or just because of who they are” she continued. She lambasted both the mainstream media and purported human rights organizations such as the United Nations who have failed to cover and address the brutality of radical Islam. “We also must know that the mainstream media have been AWOL — and Dead on Arrival , when it comes to covering this issue. This is the scoop of the century, and the media have ignored it” he declared.

Among the victims of radical Islamic violence, according to Gilinsky are the Jews of Europe and elsewhere; Sudanese Christians and Sudanese of indigenous religions; Lebanese Christians; the persecuted Coptic Christians of Egypt; other Christians, Jews, Hindus, etc. living within in the Arab and Muslim world, or in Europe or elsewhere.

Shlomi Azulay, an Israeli survivor of a Hamas suicide bombing attack in downtown Jerusalem in 2002 also took the podium at the rally. Barely escaping with his life, Azulay said, “There is not a day or night that goes by that I don’t have flashbacks and nightmares of that horrific evening. I watched my friend be blown to smitherines. I saw body parts flying around” he said with tears in his eyes. “The terrorists of Hamas must not be appeased by the US government or the powers that be in Israel. We must call upon our governments to assume a flinty posture in their regard and to not provide support to them, either financially or politically. The day that the USA recognizes and deals with Hamas will be the day that we surrender in the war on terror” he said.

Phyllis Chesler, emerita professor of psychology and women’s studies at CUNY and a Jewish Press op-ed contributor could not attend the rally but offered these remarks concerning Islamic gender apartheid through a spokesperson. “Muslim women are being buried alive (literally, not merely under face and body veils), in Algeria, in Pakistan, and under Taliban and Al-Qaeda rule. Muslim women are being sexually stalked by “wilding” parties in Egypt and Algeria, and gang-raped and then lashed almost to death in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria. They are being normatively beaten at home all over the Muslim world— in such places as Gaza and the West Bank as well as in Jordan and Egypt– and normatively killed in honor/dishonor killings.”

Also speaking at the rally were Michael W. Cutler of the Center For Immigration Studies, a Washington based think tank. Mr. Cutler was an INS special agent for over 30 years and has testified before 14 congressional hearings since 9/11 on the dangers of allowing Islamists to enter the USA. Bruce DeCell, a former New York City police officer representing the 9/11 Families organization spoke of the loss his son-in-law Mark Petrocelli, a commodities broker who lost his life on 9/11. Other speakers were Tawfik Hamid, Simon Deng, Joy Brighton, Bhupinder Singh Bhurji and Rajinder Singh Khalsa of the Sikh movement.

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Fern Sidman holds a B.A, in political science from Brooklyn College. She was the educational coordinator for the Betar Youth Movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was national director of the Jewish Defense League from 1983-1985. She was a researcher for several books written by Rabbi Meir Kahane, ZTK”L. She was the managing editor of the publication entitled, The Voice of Judea, and is a regular contributor to its web site. She is currently a writer and journalist living in New York City. Her articles have appeared in The Jewish Press, The Jewish Advocate, The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, and numerous Jewish and general web sites including, Front Page Magazine, Daniel Pipes and Michael Freund.
We are delighted to have Ms. Sidman as a regular contributor to the Jesus is Lord, A Worshipping Christian’s Blog.